Barack Obama writes many of his own speeches and co-authors the majority of them.

Sarah Palin's big speech was written by George W. Bush's speechwriter and included phonetic spelling ("new-clear" not "nuclear") so she wouldn't sound like an idiot to the majority of Americans.

Grove came in late, which is probably why he's repeating this nonsense like this.

As you indicate yourself, not even The Great Orator from Illinois writes all of his own speeches.
And all the man does for a living is give speeches.

This was Palin's first time on the national stage. It is only logical that she would work with someone familiar with federal politics to craft her speech. Especially given the stakes involved.

Not to mention that her teleprompter malfunctioned during the event, and most people didn't even notice. Had that happened to Obama, there's a 50/50 chance he would have had to resort to doing an Ashlee Simpson-SNL special. She also improvised the Hockey Mom/Pitbull line, which was one of the most memorable lines of the whole speech.

Again I'll ask, for those complaining about the use of a speechwriter here, can you point to a single post in the last three election discussions where you thought the use of a speechwriter was inappropriate?

He doesn't write all of his speeches, but he's part of the process in all his speeches and he's the sole author of many of them (including the '04 DNC speech that made him famous and his excellent "A More Perfect Union" speech from this year).

Also, the teleprompter didn't malfunction.

And what about what I said is "nonsense"? Every damned word of it is true.
Fact: Barack Obama writes many of his own speeches and co-authors the majority of them.
Fact: Sarah Palin's big speech was written by George W. Bush's speechwriter.
Fact: Some of the words in her speech were written phonetically so she would pronounce them in a way that made her sound stupid ("new-clear" instead of "nuclear").

A celebrity, an Iranian blogger, and a community organizer walk into a bar... <45 seconds later> ...and he said "but I thought that was YOUR special needs kid!"

That killed man.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShawnJ

Well, the idea is that she's an empty (pant)suit. A messiah to her supporters. A utopian, presumptuous, elitist, cult-leading future dictator.

And don't forget... she'll protect the bloggers in Iran with invisible walls.

Quote:

Originally Posted by groverat

trumptman:

You said, "Exclusive interviews, Obama does plenty of those, but standing up before a crowd of reporters, almost never."

If there's any confusion, it's your fault. The simple fact is that you are now shifting the goalposts by changing the language after the fact.

Here's a fact: Barack Obama regularly takes questions from many reporters.
Here's a lie: Barack Obama does not regularly take questions from many reporters.

I'll tell you what. Link to all these wonderful press conferences. Taking a question from a reporter is not a press conference. Having a couple reporters follow you around and shout some questions that you choose to ignore or answer is not a press conference. Those are examples of shifting the goal posts. Obama rarely has press conferences and when he does they have gone terribly.

This is not a fruitful line of attack for you. Joe Biden is the biggest expert on foreign policy out of the 4 people running for President and Vice President right now, and it's not a close call.

Sarah Palin is an expert on both jack and shit.

Thank you for your thoughts on this. Please spread them across the entire internet so that way when she hands him his ass at the debate it will be even more amazing and you will have done your part in setting the expectation. Biden also talks a lot PERIOD and his wind bag approach may lull some into thinking it effective, but that hasn't been the case in reality. It hasn't garnered votes. It hasn't altered legislation. It hasn't changed anything. A whole lot of nothing is still nothing.

Quote:

Barack Obama writes many of his own speeches and co-authors the majority of them.

Sarah Palin's big speech was written by George W. Bush's speechwriter and included phonetic spelling ("new-clear" not "nuclear") so she wouldn't sound like an idiot to the majority of Americans.

Obama uses speechwriters as you noted. Finally I want someone who can give a decent speech, but who will give much better policy. All Obama gives is speeches. He has no major policy initiatives that have not radically changed to pander to voters (I'm for nuclear, drilling, FISA and anything else that will get me elected. Watch the bouncing number for S.S. taxation). Everything that everyone extols about him is related to a speech or his two books. The man has been in legislative bodies for a decent amount of time but we can't point to anything he has really done. He has grabbed the credit for actions taken in committees he isn't even on and also claimed membership to those committees. He has managed to get his name pinned to an occasional bill that most of the time he didn't even get to vote on. That is all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by groverat

He doesn't write all of his speeches, but he's part of the process in all his speeches and he's the sole author of many of them (including the '04 DNC speech that made him famous and his excellent "A More Perfect Union" speech from this year).

Also, the teleprompter didn't malfunction.

And what about what I said is "nonsense"? Every damned word of it is true.
Fact: Barack Obama writes many of his own speeches and co-authors the majority of them.
Fact: Sarah Palin's big speech was written by George W. Bush's speechwriter.
Fact: Some of the words in her speech were written phonetically so she would pronounce them in a way that made her sound stupid ("new-clear" instead of "nuclear").

Your facts needs some work. First the speech was released to the press that way but that isn't an indication about anything with Palin. Any organization can make a mistake. Second, no matter what you want to believe, every region of the country has an accent and trying to play it down isn't proof of some evil intent.

There is no doubt that Palin had to add elements to the speech she gave. Depending upon the ego of the party involved that may be just a contribution or co-authoring. These points are argued often and as mydo noted, unless there is some agreed upon speech-o-meter, then the point is moot. Obama uses speechwriters, and so does everyone involved in politics. This is dust in the air. Please attach it to a relevant point instead of just repeating it over and over. I mean what is next, claiming some evil intent from brushing daily?

This is letter I found on the internet from an aquaintance of Sarah Palin. She does not sound like much of a fiscal conservative to me. Just another idiotic move by McCain.
I think we are in deep shit no matter who gets elected. Democrat, or Republican they are all the same.

This is embarrassing. I've said it before, but it bears repeating. This joke of a candidate is supposed to be 2nd in line behind a dying old man for president?

Sure, people can defend this avoidance of the press with untrue statements (not lies, of course) about how Obama avoids reporters when he clearly does not avoid reporters, but how the fuck can anyone think this snowbilly is capable of leading the free world when she can't even face some reporters with paper and microphones?

The reason Republicans rely solely on partisan rancor is that they are not the party of ideas; they are not the party that actually gives a shit about helping people. They are completely rudderless and without direction.

Their economic policy is the ghost of trickle down failure.
Their social policy is the horrifying spectacle of the theocratic fringe.
Their international policy is the hostile aggression of the neo-con menace.

They are failures as leaders and as people of ideas. They worship their dead god Reagan and seem to not understand a goddam thing about why people loved him; he did a good job of pretending to actually like the people of America, but now the head Republican duo openly mocks community service and hides from the microphones and pens of journalists.

This is embarrassing. I've said it before, but it bears repeating. This joke of a candidate is supposed to be 2nd in line behind a dying old man for president?

Sure, people can defend this avoidance of the press with untrue statements (not lies, of course) about how Obama avoids reporters when he clearly does not avoid reporters, but how the fuck can anyone think this snowbilly is capable of leading the free world when she can't even face some reporters with paper and microphones?

Palin was picked because she's a face. McCain must have been cackling when he picked her, imagining how it would look for her to face off against Biden and instantly win sympathy votes as he ripped her to ribbons.

Average American TV Viewer: "Holy shitpies, that Biden guy is a real jerk. He's attacking a Christian mother of five!... or was it four?"

Do any of the people planning to vote for McCain/Palin think it's a little shocking that the campaign would just brazenly declare she's off limits till "she's ready"?

She's the, you know, nominee for the Vice Presidency of the United States, not a fucking debutante.

What is it that has to happen before she's "ready"? Does she have to familiarize herself with the issues? Learn public speaking? Get better at deflecting questions from reporters? Receive some kind of implant?

If any of those things are true, why the hell was she nominated? Doesn't her fabulous, Obama shaming experience already qualify her to go out there and work the campaign?

Can anyone explain this to me? Preferably in a way that doesn't make me want to shoot you in the face for treating me like I have the IQ of a turnip?

They spoke of the sayings and doings of their commander, the grand duke, and told stories of his kindness and irascibility.

Do any of the people planning to vote for McCain/Palin think it's a little shocking that the campaign would just brazenly declare she's off limits till "she's ready"?

Not shocking at all that they would declare it, but disturbing as hell that the media has been so consolidated that they follow it. Then again, I learned the bitter lesson firsthand from the treatment Ron Paul got from the so-called mainstream media. An infected, open wound courtesy of the media germs occupying the same filthy needle.

And if that doesn't set alarms off there are the others and the next one...and...and...and...

I'm kind of amazed. She's getting literally raped in the media and seasoned politician Biden has been getting a free pass card. Though honestly I think I'll have to steal sslarson's "October Surprise" notion that there would have to be something insidious that could even top what she's been doing.

This is embarrassing. I've said it before, but it bears repeating. This joke of a candidate is supposed to be 2nd in line behind a dying old man for president?

Sure, people can defend this avoidance of the press with untrue statements (not lies, of course) about how Obama avoids reporters when he clearly does not avoid reporters, but how the fuck can anyone think this snowbilly is capable of leading the free world when she can't even face some reporters with paper and microphones?

It (the media) puts the lotion on it's skin or else it gets the hose again.

The media need to behave before they get access. In their partisanship they clearly want to define Palin before the McCain campaign and the woman herself can fully introduce her to the broader American electorate. When the first question out of their mouths won't be sexist attacks to try to defend their messiah then they can have their time.

I'm still going to have fun watching this "joke" kick the hell out of the windbag.

Let's not forget that a media feeding frenzy made the windbag quit in 1988.

Let's not forget that even without the frenzy his "clean, articulate" gaffe was second place on Time magazine's list of Top 10 Campaign Gaffes for 2007 and probably killed whatever chance he had of a go this time around.

Those two sentences are called facts. Saying someone is embarrassing or a snowbilly over and over is not.

It (the media) puts the lotion on it's skin or else it gets the hose again.

The media need to behave before they get access. In their partisanship they clearly want to define Palin before the McCain campaign and the woman herself can fully introduce her to the broader American electorate. When the first question out of their mouths won't be sexist attacks to try to defend their messiah then they can have their time.

So presumably when Obama was being slammed for flag pins, Reverend Wright, terror buddies, and "bittergate", it would have been appropriate, by your lights, for him to have cut off all access to the media, until they learned to "behave." That's a very depressing concept of the press you have. I'm sure you'll celebrate the day when all information is vetted by the RNC. That'll keep those liberal fascists in line.

Quote:

I'm still going to have fun watching this "joke" kick the hell out of the windbag.

I have no doubt that you will declare her to have "kicked the hell" out of Biden, regardless of what transpires. It would appear that, in your mind, Palin kicks the hell out of Biden simply by existing.

Quote:

Let's not forget that a media feeding frenzy made the windbag quit in 1988.

Let's not forget that even without the frenzy his "clean, articulate" gaffe was second place on Time magazine's list of Top 10 Campaign Gaffes for 2007 and probably killed whatever chance he had of a go this time around.

Strange, that the liberal media was "behaving itself", wasn't it?

Quote:

Those two sentences are called facts. Saying someone is embarrassing or a snowbilly over and over is not.

In what sense are asking questions about abuse of power, inflated credentials and gross misrepresentations of one's record "saying someone is embarrassing or a snowbilly"?

They spoke of the sayings and doings of their commander, the grand duke, and told stories of his kindness and irascibility.

Well there's some lovely spin. The mean 'ole media isn't being nice enough to the sweet little girl.

Quote:

In their partisanship they clearly want to define Palin before the McCain campaign and the woman herself can fully introduce her to the broader American electorate. When the first question out of their mouths won't be sexist attacks to try to defend their messiah then they can have their time.

Awww, sexism.

This is a weak position from which to argue, and that's putting in lightly. It is without substance and entirely without evidence.

Can you provide any evidence of the media being sexist against Palin?

(And, by the way, I'm asking about actual media outlets, not anonymous blogs on the Internet or celebrity gossip rags.)

It's not that they wish to stifle it, they wish to hide their shame from public scrutiny. Let the former local TV sports anchor read some prepared remarks and hide her away so she doesn't embarrass herself as a neophyte snowbilly.

So presumably when Obama was being slammed for flag pins, Reverend Wright, terror buddies, and "bittergate", it would have been appropriate, by your lights, for him to have cut off all access to the media, until they learned to "behave." That's a very depressing concept of the press you have. I'm sure you'll celebrate the day when all information is vetted by the RNC. That'll keep those liberal fascists in line.

I have no doubt that you will declare her to have "kicked the hell" out of Biden, regardless of what transpires. It would appear that, in your mind, Palin kicks the hell out of Biden simply by existing.

Strange, that the liberal media was "behaving itself", wasn't it?

In what sense are asking questions about abuse of power, inflated credentials and gross misrepresentations of one's record "saying someone is embarrassing or a snowbilly"?

When she goes up against Biden they'll have to have a dustpan ready to pick up all the little Palin pieces.

Without the need for difference or a need to always follow the herd breeds complacency, mediocrity, and a lack of imagination

At one point in his speech last night, taking a shot at Barack Obama, Republican nominee John McCain assured Americans that "I'm not running for president because I think I'm blessed with such personal greatness that history has anointed me to save our country in its hour of need."

Which makes the following statistic kind of interesting. In a 50-minute speech, McCain used the word "I," or variations like "me" or "my" or "myself," more than 200 times.

That's about twice as many references to personal self-greatness as Obama used in Denver.